Having the experience around him of the likes of Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Dawson and others can only help improve his game.

Yet the flip side is that when they are all fit, he knows that he will face a battle to get into the side!

But Bassong is up for the fight.

He says: "Every player needs competition to move forward. I am here for the examination and I am ready for it.

"We have some outstanding central defenders here, I don't think there are many other clubs in the Premier League with so many of such a high standard. I knew before I signed that if everyone is fit it will be a tough fight to play.

"But I can't fail to learn from the others. I watch Ledley all the time and know that I can benefit a lot from him and Woody. I am still young with a lot to learn so having players like them around is a good thing for me."

Read the full question-and-answer session with our new defender in the September issue of hotspur magazine. It's out now.